Trunk-drawer lock



J. RITTER. JR.. er AL TRUNK DRAWER LOCK -Filed Aug. 2. 192e Oct.` l,1929.

ATTORNEYJ.

Patented Oct. 1, 1929 UNITED STATES Htte/Jaa PATET oren JULIUS RITTER,JR., .AND MARIUS J". WISBY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIG-NORS TO HARTMANNTRUNK COMPANY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- CON SINApplication led August 2, 1926.

Our invention has relation to improvements in trunk drawer locks.

' Trunks as'now commonly constructed, are provided with a plurality ofdrawers and this is 'particularly true of so-called wardrobe trunks,which are equipped not only with a wardrobe section, but Aalso with adrawer seetion.

It is the primary object of our invention to provide, in a drawerequippedtrunk, an improved means whereby when a key is turned in onedirection, all of the drawers of the series are simultaneously unlockedand vice versa when the key is turned in the opposite direction, all ofthe drawers of the series are simultaneously locked.

With the above primary object and other 4incidental objects in view,theinvention consists of devices and parts -or the equivalents thereofas hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the` accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a trunk containing a seriesof drawers, parts being in section, and parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in thedirection of the arrow; and o Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view online 3,3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 4 indicates a portion of a trunkequipped with a plurality of slidabledrawers, and which portion orsection 4, in a wardrobe trunk, would be the drawer section thereof, asdistinguished from the wardrobe section.

The sides of the portion 4, at spaced inten vals apart, have securedthereto, drawer supports 5. ,The front of the portion 4, as shown mostclearly inFig. 3, is provided with a keyhole 6, through which a key 7passes, and is adapted to enter and engage locking mechanism confinedwithin a lock casing 8, a turna-ble part of said lock mechanism beingshown as projecting through the casing, and con- .'rnUNK-DRAWER Looxserial No. 126,598.

sisting of lugs 9-9, which receive therebe-'z tween, the flattened endof a rod 10, the said end of the rod being secured between the lugs bymeans of a rivet 11.

The rod 10 passes through a loop 12 secured to the underside of the topof the trunk portion 4, and inner end of the rod is in the form of acrank 13, which extends through an elongated slot 14 in the flange of aplate 15 secured to the back of the' trunk.

The end of the crank.4 it will be noticed'.` is

provided with a head which is back of the flange of the plate 15,whereby the crank is mantained in its position within the slot. Thelower end of the slot (see Figure 1) is enlarged to permit of the headof the crank passing through the slot in the assembling of the parts.The lower end of the plate 15 is secured medially to an arm 16. To theright hand end of this arm (Figure 1)is pivoted one arm of a bell-cranklever 1'?.

'The upwardly pointing angle of this bellera-nk lever is pivoted to theback of the trunk portion 4, but a plate 18 is preferably secured tosaid back for the-reception of the pivot, for strengthening purposes.The other or outerarm of this bell-crank lever is pivoted to an angularbracket 19.`

rlhe left hand end of the arm 16 (Fig. 1) has pivotally connectedthereto one arm of vanother bell-crank lever 20. The position angularbracket 22.

Both the outer arm of the angular bracket 19 and the outer arm ofangular bracket 22 are rigidly connected to vertically movable bars23-23, extending along the sides of the trunk portion 4.

It will be noticed that each of the side bars has projecting therefrom,laterally and inwardly, short studs 24, the function of which will behereinafter described.

The several drawers are indicated by the numeral 25, and these drawersare supported by and are slidable upon the drawer supports 5.

Each of the opposite end pieces of each drawer is formed with a recess26, and for wearing purposes each recess has seated therein, a metallicplate 27 having a recess 2S which lits in the recess of the drawer end.

It is desirable that the vertically movable locking bars 23 be guided intheir up and down movements. Any suitable form of guides may beprovided, and in Fig. 3 of the drawing is shown one of the guides 29employed in which the side bar is guided in its up and down movement.

Referring to the operation, it will be assumed that the drawers are allin their closed position, as shown in Fig. 1. 1n this position, it willbe seen that the short studs 24 of the side bars are in engagement withthe recesses in the upper edges of the opposite ends of each drawer. Ofcourse, when the drawers are thus engaged, said drawers are lockedagainst being pulled outwardly to open position.

If now, it is desired to simultaneously eifect the unlocking of all thedrawers so as to pernit of the opening of any one or more of saiddrawers, the key 7 is turned in one direction. This will cause a turningof the rotatable portion of the lock mechanism and of the lugs 11-connected therewith, and the turning of these lugs, of course, willrotate the rod 10. The turning of the rod 10 causes the crank 13 on theend thereof to work against the edge of the slot 14 of the plate 15, andcause a move- Vment of the plate and the bar 16 to which sait plate isconnected in a direction to so act upon the bell crank levers 17 and 20to cause an upward thrust or movement of the agular arms 19 and 22, andas these angular arms are connected to the side bars 23, said bars arenecessarily raised to such an extent as to withdraw the lateral lugs 24thereof out of engagement with the recesses in the top edges of the endpieces of the drawer. "When this occurs, any desired drawer can bepulled outwardly to open position.

The parts are held in their raised unlocking posit-ion by reason of theposition which the crank 18 was turned in the operation of the key.

Now, when it is desiredto again lock the drawers, all the drawers, ofcourse, are adjusted to their closed position, and after this the key isturned in the opposite direction so as to restore the crank to itsnormal position. When the crank is so restored, a reverse action on thepla-te 15 takes place, and the bell crank levers 17 and 20 are, throughthe action of the bar 16, turned in an opposite direction to thatnecessary for unlocking, with the result that the side bars 23 areforced downwardly, and the lugs 24 thereof caused to again engage therecesses in the end pieces of the drawers.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that we provide a mosteffective mechanism for simultaneously locking and unlocking thedrawers,said mechanism being very easily controlled and operated by the rotationof the key.

What we claim as our invention is l. In a trunk having a sectioncontaining drawers positioned one above another, oppositely positionedmovable bars provided with means for engaging the drawers to normallyhold said drawers locked, a turnable key-actuated lock mechanism, a rodconnected at one end t-o said turnable key-actuated lock mechanism andturnable therewith, the opposite end of said rod being formed with acrank, a plate provided with an elongated slot which the said crankengages, an arm to which the plate is connected at a medial point ofsaid arm, bell-crank levers each having one yof their arms pivotally.connected to an end of the arm, the angles of said bell-.crank leverspointing in opposite directions, Mld members rigidly connected to therespective movable bars, with the other arms ofthe respective bell-cranklevers connected to the 1Lopposite ends of said last mentioned meiners.v

2. In a trunk having a section containing drawers positioned one aboveanother, a pair of movable bars each being provided with a plurality ofengaging mechanisms, and adapted to enga-ge opposite sides of thedrawers to normally hold said drawers lccked, a turnable key-actuatedlock mechanism, a rod connected at one end to said turnable key-actuatedlock mechanism and turnable therewith, the opposite end of said rodbeing in the form of a crank, a plate provided with an elongated slotwhich the` crank of the rody engages an operating arm to which saidplate is connected at an intermediate point, bell crank levers,onepositioned at one end of and below said operating arm, and the otherpositioned at the other end of and above said operating arm, said bellcrank levers each having one of its arms pivotally connected to theadjacent end of the operating arm and the angles of said bell cranklevers pointing in opposite directions, and members rigidly connected tothe respective movable bars with the other arms of the respective bellcrank levers connected to the opposite ends thereof.

3. In a trunk having a section containing drawers positioned one aboveanother, a movable bar provided with means Jfor engaging the drawers tonormally hold said `drawers locked, a turnable key-actuated lockmechansin, a rod connected at one end to said turnable key-actuated lookmechanism and turnable therewith, the opposite end of said rod being inthe form of a crank, a plate which the crank of the rod engages, ahorizontally extending arm to which said. plate is rigidly connected,and means between said horizontal arm and the movable bar for movingsaid movable bar vertically when the horizontal arm is movinghorizontally.

In testimony whereof, we aiix our signatures.

JULIUS RITTER, Jn. MARIUS J. WISBY.

